1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to footwear, and in particular the present invention relates to articles of footwear that include several straps for tightening the upper to a wearer's foot.
2. Description of Related Art
Systems for stabilizing a wearer's foot during motion have been proposed. Katz (U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,929) discloses a stabilization device for an athletic shoe or sneaker having two elongated straps for wrapping around a foot within a shoe. Selner (U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,228) discloses an apparatus that enhances retrograde stability to the major joints of the foot. A drawback to these stabilization systems is that the stabilization system is not integral to the footwear, and therefore must be applied independently, or instead of, a separate article of footwear.
Footwear including straps for tightening an upper to a wearer's foot have been disclosed. Zaccaria (U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,639) discloses a shoe with an adjustable strap fastening mechanism having a pull strap that is secured at one end of the insole of the shoe and disposed in wrap-around fashion about a wearer's foot in the region of the instep. However, this single strap design allows for the shoe to be tightened to the foot only along the instep region of the foot. Often, it may be desirable to provide a means of fastening a shoe at multiple locations, including the forefoot region.
Corliss (U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,864) discloses a cyclist's shoe, including separately adjustable inner and outer straps. The inner strap extends across the throat and along one side panel in a diagonal direction for primarily fitting the shoe to a cyclist's instep. The outer strap comprises a relatively large, flexible panel covering a substantial portion of the vamp around the throat. The outer strap extends across the vamp and the side panels in a transverse direction for primarily fitting the shoe to the cyclist's forefoot. While this design accommodates the need to fit a shoe at the instep and forefoot regions, both straps rest outside the upper. Since the upper itself often includes some amount of stiffness, these straps may not tighten as efficiently as straps that are disposed along the inside of the upper.
Misevich (U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,464) discloses a foot support structure attached to the outsole of a shoe to provide support to the medial arch and to girth the midfoot in a sling configuration. This multi-strap system provides a support sling construction with attachment to the shoe outsole such that adjustment is completely independent of rear-foot and forefoot fit. This design has the disadvantage of incorporating a large number of straps that prevents ease of use.
There is a need in the art for an article of footwear that makes use of several independent mechanisms of tightening the footwear upper to a wearer's foot at multiple regions, and which effectively combines ease of use, comfort, and aesthetics.